First, be aware that most foundations prefer to give grants to nonprofit organizations. If a grantmaker wants to give grants to individuals, it needs to get advance approval from the IRS.

We know of roughly 10,000 grantmakers -- less than 1/10 of our entire database -- that give to individuals, mainly to help with paying for education, or artistic or research projects. You can search these funders in Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, our searchable subscription database that you can search for free at our locations and Funding Information Network partners.

Since most foundation grants are for nonprofits, you should expect stiff competition for grant dollars and explore all potential funding sources within your own discipline or geographic area.

For additional tips and selected resources, see our related articles for:

• Students and researchers
   
• Artists
   
• Personal needs (housing, medical bills, etc.)

You also can browse all of our articles for individual grantseekers.

Topic(s) Find Corporate Donors Find Foundation Donors Support for Individual Grantseekers